The Brussels Post, 1977-09-28, Page 24J. L. WCUTCHEON:
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24 THE BRUSSELS POST, SEPTEMBER 28, 1977
(Continued from Page 1) "The government isn't taking
as farmland. If, however, the over the farms," said Hanly. It
farm is sold for development is new methoft to get money to
purposes, the farmer will be pay for the programs the munici-
required to reimburse the palities are going to operate."
government for the taxes which Hanly explained that while
have been paid on his behalf, up assessment may be up 10 times
to 10 years back. over the present rate, the mill
All property will be assessed at rate would only be one-tenth as
market value, 'it was stated, much as it is now.
although there is no firm defini- "Just because the system is
tion yet just how market value will changed, the municipalities
be determined. There is also no
definition of what "a reasonable
amount of land" surrounding the
farm home will be.
Debate Begins
Paul Steckle, the deputy-reeve
of Stanley Township, led off the
discussion by questioning the
entire premise of having any or all
farm taxes paid by government.
"I question whether we want to
go this route," said. Steckle. "I
don't think there is a farmer in
this room who wants the govern-
ment paying his taxes for him."
Steckle alluded to the present
system whereby 50 per cent of the
farmer's taxes are reimbursed to
him because the government
recognizes the fact that farmland
should not pay for services to
people. Steckle said he agreed
that farmland should not help to
pay for such services as educa-
tion, health, libraries, social
services, etc. but he suggested
the system of tax deferrals or
reimbursements was not the best
solution since persons • who were
not really earning their livelihood
from the farm were also classed
as farmers and thereby received
the special tax concessions.
"We want to pay our taxes,"
Steckle told council., "Let's get
paid for what we're selling and
then we can pay them."
Reeve Bill Elston of Morris
Township agreed. He said • he
didn't like the idea of government
paying any portion of farm taxes
since it would lead to farmers
losing control of their own land.
"If government pays the bills,
five years down the road govern-
ment will be telling us what to do
with our land," predicted Reeve
Elston. "If we accept that, we're
selling out the County of Huron."
As a general rule, the Morris
reeve said, rural and residential
assessment will be up under the
new system, while commercial
and industrial assessment will be
down.
Reeve Calvin Krauter of
Brussels defended the business-
men. He said there is "nothing
fair about business assessment"
because, he said, the business-
County committee proposes
"How much is this new system should take
tax reforms
a pretty close look
going to cost us? asked Cook. someone picking up the tab I
"How many new assessors are we us."
going to have to hire to solve this A computer printout shown
problem ? " current assessed values 'a
Hanly said there was every market values for each inuni
indication the Huron-Perth pality in Huron has been receiv
Regional Assessment Office from the Ministry of Treasur
would be able to make the Economics and Intergover
changes without any additional mental Affairs. It was stress
staff. this information was "ve
"And they have less staff now preliminary and not complete
than they • had two years ago," and that accurate compariso
said Hanly. could not be made.
Seaforth Reeve John Flannery However, based on sever
said the whole system was just to assumptions, a schedule i
permit "under the table borrow- comparison was prepared by th
ing for the - provincial clerk-treasurer's office,
government." "It would appear from thi
Bayfield Reeve Ed Oddleifson comparison that as a general rub
said he was concerned about village and town apportionment
where the money would come for county purposes will be dow
from. while township apportionment
"If it is not coming from the will be up," the executiy
farmer, where does it comes committee reported.
from?" asked the Bayfield In the figures supplied with th
representative. report, all villages and town
Harold Robinson of Howick felt showed a decrease in thei
there should be more figures for apportionment for count:
comparison purposes. purposes while only one townshii
Simon P. Hallahan of East - Tuckersmith - registered
Wawanosh said, "I think we reduced percentage.
aren't going to need more money
to operate," argued Hanly. "If
your municipality is now working
on a $200,000 budget, it isn't
suddenly going to need 10 times
that much. The elected people
will still be responsible and
responsible to the same people."
He predicted the system as
envisioned by the Blair
Commission would be fairer.
Hanly said that if cottage
owners, for instance, should be
paying a larger share in a
municipality like Goderich
Township, they would be paying a
larger share if their assessments
were tied to the market value of
'the properties. In ' an urban
municipality, two homes each
valued at $40,000 would be
paying the same amount of
property tax and he suggested
that some homeonwers would pay
more while some would pay less
than under the present system. A
similar result would occur in
business and commercial
buildings.
"You would be raising the
same amount of money," Hanly
insisted, "but it is a redistribu-
tion of shares on what would
appear to be, I think, a fairer
system."
Hanly also pointed out that how
,much a businessman makes per
annum on his property has
nothing to do with the value of the
property. He said an individual's
earnings !are another matter "and
that's straightened out in income
tax."
More Ideas
"I don't see anything wrong
with the system we've got now,"
said Reeve Bob Lyons of West
Wawanosh. "I don't Mind paying
half the taxes on my, farm. When I
can't pay half, then quit
farming."
"McKillop is 90 per cent
agricultural," said Reeve Allan
Campbell of McKillop. "If 90 per
cent of all the taxes are paid by
government, what difference
would it make how high the
assessment goes? Why 'not pave
all the roads?"
Gerry Ginn, a member of the
executive committee, said
Campbell was forgetting that
farmers will be paying all the
taxes on their homes and the land
surrounding them, the 90%
would apply to only barns, sheds
and farmland. He estimated that
when things were all evened out,
there would be very little change
for the average farmer in actual
dollars and cents paid out for,
taxes.
"What is market value?"
asked Ervin Sillery of
Tuckersmith.
Bill Hanly said while it was true
that some property was worth
more to some' buyers than to
others, the inflated prices paid for
real estate in the future would
affect the estimated market value
for taxation purposes.
"If you pay an inflated price for
a piece of property, the assessors
are likely to back into that
neighborhood and restudy all the
homes to determine if the market
value has increased there," said
Hanly.
Hanly said he'd always
believed that everyone should be
his own assessor. The price a
person put on his real estate
would be the price he would be
prepared to pay taxes on as well
as sell his property for when the
- time came to sell it.
Frank Cook, reeve of Clinton,
said equalized assessment was
now obsolete although it had cost
the county thousands and
thousands of dollars to change
over from the previous system of
municipal assessors.
man pays a ' sur-charge on ' his
taxes regardless of the business
he does.
"I'm not arguing for me alone.
I've heard this complaint for
years from business people,"
said Krauter. "If everybody paid
their just tax on their . real
property, we'd have the money
and the say so. To hell with
Hepburn's grants ithat started in
1931."
Reeve Gerry Ginn of Goderich
Township said the Blair
Commission had set out to make
the taxation system more
equitable for everyone.
"We all should pay our fair
taxes," Ginn agreed. "The
system we have today is not fair.
It is outdated and even if the Blair •
report is implemented, we will
have to look hard at .all these
things all the time to make sure
things have not changed. We all
agree the more you Make, the
more yOu should pay. Similarly
where land taxes are concerned,
the
Pa
ou own, fhe more you
should"
Administrator Tries to Explain
County Administrator
Hanly urged council to look at the
Blair report as government tax
reform rather than a ploy to take
control of the province's
farmland.
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